Supportiveness of the building edge of an urban public as a step towards place making

Abstract

Urban public spaces are places where people tend to gather, socialize, and sometimes relax. Thus, it is a place where a multitude of functions can take place simultaneously, live' urban spaces make cities more lively and habitable. A "Building Edge" is one of the most important elements of an urban structure demarcating, as it does, a strong physical, social, as well as psychological boundary of an urban space, it is therefore, essential that the building edge be a lively place with a variety of activities. In other words, public urban spaces should be surrounded by various activities that are interconnected with each other. This is an important issue that has a direct impact on Architecture. A deeper study of the issue is, therefore, necessary in order to understand it more clearly. A 'place' is a creation of two predominant forces. They are, • The Physical component • The Social component The Physical components include form and shape, as well as Space; the ultimate result of combining form and shape. The Social component can be described as society and culture. By intertwining these two predominant forces, an idea of 'place' is created. Physical and Social components will become meaningful, only if man perceives and experiences it. The transformation of a 'space' (built fabric) in to a 'place' (man + built fabric) depends on man's response towards his built environment. Such response leads to 'place making' in a built environment. Hence, a basic framework was constructed, in order to study and understand man's response to a place. This research, under the topic, 'Supportiveness of the Building Edge of an Urban Public Space as a step towards place making', intends to study how the physical formation of a building edge in an open public space, leads to the creation of a socially and culturally vibrant